Key findings of the report include:
- Outdoor recreation is a powerful economic sector. At $887 billion spent annually, it is larger than education ($278 billion), gas and fuels ($304 billion), household utilities ($313 billion) motor vehicles and parts ($465 billion) and pharmaceuticals ($466 billion).
- Supporting 7.6 million jobs, outdoor recreation creates more jobs than real estate, rentals and leasing (2.1 million) and education (3.5 million) combined. It also supports more jobs than the food and beverage industry (4.7 million), finance and insurance (6 million), construction (6.4 million) and computer technology (6.7 million).
- Outdoor recreation generates $65.3 billion in federal tax revenue a year and $59.2 billion in state and local tax revenues.
- More American jobs depend on recreational motorcycling and off-roading (867,000) than lawyers in the United States (779,000).
- Nearly 331 million people visit U.S. national parks each year-that's nearly one visit for every American.
Beyond
the numbers, the report touches on the health and societal benefits of
outdoor recreation including evidence that suggests that investments in
outdoor recreation and programming could significantly reduce crime
rates, improve educational outcomes for many children and actually lower
long-term individual and public health care costs by reducing stress
and obesity rates.
"The
benefits of outdoor recreation far exceed mere numbers, though the
numbers are impressive," says Rob Southwick, president of Southwick
Associates. "From helping people reduce stress, exercise more and
overall improve their health, the tangible benefits of providing an
abundant of outdoor activities go far beyond dollars and cents."
